New science A-levels are 'dumbed down'

By Julie Henry, Education Correspondent

12:01AM BST 15 Apr 2007

New science A-levels are being "dumbed down" to such an extent that some courses will demand no prior knowledge of the subject.

Draft syllabuses for chemistry and biology published by one exam board state that the first part of the qualification, the AS-level, can be tackled without the candidate having studied the subject before.

The changes, part of a general redesign of A-levels to reduce the number of external examinations per subject from six to four, have been condemned by science teachers.

They complain that content is being dumped so that the A-level will be accessible to pupils taking the general science GCSE, which has been heavily criticised since it was introduced in September.

Dubbed "pop-science", the GCSE has replaced the study of fundamental scientific principles with debate about "science-related" issues, such as nuclear power, nutrition and the use of drugs. Teachers fear that the A-level is now going the same way.

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Although the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA (OCR) syllabuses for chemistry and biology state that they build on grade C in GCSE science, they also add that the qualifications have been designed so they "demand no prior knowledge" of the subjects. This is in contrast to its current specifications which give a breakdown of the information and skills that students need to start the course.

David Perks, a science teacher for 20 years and head of physics at Graveney School, Tooting, south London, said that the redesign was further evidence of the "dumbing down" of science to create "critically aware" consumers, rather than future scientists.

"The first part of the new GCSE is so 'issues led' that pupils will get a shock moving to the second part, let alone moving to A-level. Now they are having to change the AS-level so that the gap between GCSE and A-level is not completely insurmountable.

"The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is looking for ways to make science more 'relevant' because it is told that kids are not interested and they find knowledge too hard. So, steadily but surely, science teaching is becoming about current controversies - covering science at the level of media analysis. So, for instance, there is hardly any maths in physics. You are being asked to teach about forces by applying it to car safety."

Edexcel, which has published outlines of its syllabuses, says that they are a "seamless progression" from the new science GCSE and provide "inspirational, real-life" context. The other big exam board, AQA, has yet to publish its syllabus, though schools will have to teach it from next year.

Changes to A-level sciences will concern university tutors who fear that they could erode vital subject knowledge. Richard Sykes, the rector of Imperial College London, has already criticised the new GCSE, saying that it will disadvantage state school pupils because their private school counterparts are studying traditional single-subject sciences.

A spokesman for OCR said: "The draft specifications support the new criteria announced by the QCA. They have been submitted to QCA for approval and will be subject to changes. The science specifications build on the knowledge, understanding and skill of GCSE science. However, it is recognised that adult learners, embarking on any AS-A-level course who may not have science GCSE, must have the appropriate life skills."

A spokesman for the QCA said: "We will be having discussions about the draft specifications with the exam boards over the next few weeks. One of the main reasons for changes to the science curriculum is to address the decline in the number of young people taking the sciences at A-level."

The initiative to make science more "relevant" has some high-profile supporters among the science community. Prof Michael Reiss, the director of education at the Royal Society, has defended the new GCSE as "providing a genuine education in science".

Moves to make science a more attractive option to pupils also include a proposal for a £300 financial incentive for those choosing a science A-level. The suggestion was made last week by the Council for Industry and Higher Education think-tank.